Thanksgiving shortcuts- anyone use these?

[~Jessie~]

An acquitance was telling me that she was responsible for the desserts for Thanksgiving. She's planning on getting a couple of pies from the grocery store and passing them off as her own. She's going to take them out of the tin containers and "doctor" them up to look homemade. I think her plan is bound to fail, as pies are pretty easy to distinguish from store bought and home made.

Who else is using shortcuts this year? Potato flakes, frozen mashed potatoes, canned turkey, jarred gravy, "already cooked" meals from your grocery store's deli, and canned cranberry sauce, for example.

Anyone passing these off as being "homemade"?

Our only "cheat" will be the pies, I think. We're making everything else from scratch, but I'm not in the mood to make dessert. Oh yeah, and the biscuits.

 

[darkchild16]

I say everything but I refuse to make cranberry since Jeremy ONLY eats the canned jellied. Thats the only thing NOT handmade. Oh and the Hawaiian rolls! LOL

 

[sparks19]

We aren't cooking lol and don't need to bring anything. I MAY whip up a batch of cookies tonight but really they will probably go mostly uneaten as there is always a huge spread with everything imaginable lol

 

[~Jessie~]

I say everything but I refuse to make cranberry since Jeremy ONLY eats the canned jellied. Thats the only thing NOT handmade. Oh and the Hawaiian rolls! LOL

I LOVE Hawaiian rolls!

 

[Lyzelle]

I think we always did homemade. I can't think of a time we cheated, unless it was on the gravy and I just doctored it with giblets and drippings. And rolls.

 

[skittledoo]

Haha my shortcut is not cooking at all this year lol. My sister inlaw is having us over. If I bring anything it will be store bought since Josh and I don't have a kitchen to cook in right now.

 

[darkchild16]

I LOVE Hawaiian rolls!

Its just us and the kids so I cheated and bought them. We have everything else I have to cook for 2 adults and 2 kids so yeah.

 

[JessLough]

Nope, everything is home made. Mainly cause I'm allergic to most everything

 

[CaliTerp07]

We're heading to Zach's aunt and uncle's house, so they're cooking. For many many years, we went to his grandparents' house, and EVERYTHING was a "cheat" (though I don't really think of it as cheating...) They regularly had 50+ people to a sit down Thanksgiving dinner, and there's just no way you can cook homemade food for that many people. We ate turkey breast and canned corn and frozen green beans and mashed potatoes from a box, and it was about the company, not the food.

 

[sassafras]

The only thing I am responsible for bringing to dinner is the pies, and I always make them from scratch (although I will use store bought crusts if I'm really in a hurry). Even if I wanted to shortcut, I usually can't due to food allergies in the family.

 

[Greenmagick]

I dont mind people picking things up from the grocery store or buying certain items but trying to pass them off on your own is really skeevy to me.

Rolls, while I MUCH prefer homemade, there are some good store bought ones. Pies, well, again, a bakery has good ones but they are so freaking easy to make.

Mashed potatoes and gravy, I will never understand how people can eat the fake stuff...just ick ick ick. Again, while they are a bit time consuming at the last minute, the are not at all hard to do...and there are some great make ahead mashed potato type casseroles.

 

[darkchild16]

I dont mind people picking things up from the grocery store or buying certain items but trying to pass them off on your own is really skeevy to me.

Rolls, while I MUCH prefer homemade, there are some good store bought ones. Pies, well, again, a bakery has good ones but they are so freaking easy to make.

Mashed potatoes and gravy, I will never understand how people can eat the fake stuff...just ick ick ick. Again, while they are a bit time consuming at the last minute, the are not at all hard to do...and there are some great make ahead mashed potato type casseroles.

Even get the steam and mash if your in a hurry microwave 10 minutes and there ya go. (i keep them on hand for when the kids wont give me time to peel)
Jeremy grew up on the flakes and I was like NO they are not allowed past the threshold of any house we have together. He fought it at first and now he wont touch them

 

[eddieq]

I guess the shortcut I use for my pies is the store bought crusts/shells. I make the fillings though (fresh apples that I cut and slice on my mandolin for my apple pie, etc.).

IMO, there is nothing wrong with shortcuts.

 

[sparks19]

I guess the shortcut I use for my pies is the store bought crusts/shells. I make the fillings though (fresh apples that I cut and slice on my mandolin for my apple pie, etc.).

IMO, there is nothing wrong with shortcuts.

does it make beautiful music?

 

[darkchild16]

I guess the shortcut I use for my pies is the store bought crusts/shells. I make the fillings though (fresh apples that I cut and slice on my mandolin for my apple pie, etc.).

IMO, there is nothing wrong with shortcuts.

I wish Jeremy thought that way LOL I have him spoiled he doesnt like the shortcuts unless I have no choice.

 

[eddieq]

does it make beautiful music?

Yup, until it reaches out and bites you. Then the music has explicit lyrics.

 

[Renee750il]

The crust is the best part of the pie, so no, if I'm making pie, it will be homemade, and if I see a pie with a cheater crust I don't even bother with it. It's all sort of moot, though, since I quit eating gluten, lol. But I make a gluten free pie crust that is every bit as flaky and light as the regular ones

I'll have to hand it to Marie Callendar though; the crust on those is better than most homemade crust, and the fillings are usually good.

 

[JoLeigh]

My family always does handmade everything my DH is split but mostly homemade we are going to be with his family this year so everyone will just bring a dish with them (It'll be 50-70 odd people in one tiny little house oh boy )

This year I'm making Boston Cream Casserole yumm

 

[Doberluv]

Mostly it's all home made but I am taking a few short cuts this year since it's only I who will be doing the cooking and there are quite a few different dishes. I'm making gravy from Knorr packages. I like not using the grease/fat from the drippings and it can be made ahead of time. And I bought some pies from Costco. Did make a blueberry cobbler from scratch though. And lets see....cranberries are easy because I just make the fresh ones that you cook on the stove with sugar and water and that's that. Last night I made that and the yams....just yams, not other things on them. And squash.

Today I put together the green bean casserole and made mashed potatoes. I'm drying out the bread and sauteed the onion and celery for the stuffing which gets cooked in the oven tomorrow but not in the turkey. There will be a raw veggie platter, which I'll get my daughter to fix tomorrow when she comes. I like doing as much ahead of time as possible so on Thanksgiving it's just the turkey and getting things re-heated and set out. It sure is tiring standing on my feet all day. Man, this is a lot of work. Next time somebody better do some of the cooking and bring something. Arrrrggggg! But it is just my immediate family so I shouldn't complain. I don't know how people do it with tons of people....unless everyone brings something. I think I'd go on strike if I had to cook for any more than I'm having.

*Something else that's good but I didn't make it this year is tomato aspic salad. That's just a nice, refreshing side dish. But oh well....too much food already. Does anyone else like tomato aspic?

 

[Doberluv]

The crust is the best part of the pie, so no, if I'm making pie, it will be homemade, and if I see a pie with a cheater crust I don't even bother with it. It's all sort of moot, though, since I quit eating gluten, lol. But I make a gluten free pie crust that is every bit as flaky and light as the regular ones

I'll have to hand it to Marie Callendar though; the crust on those is better than most homemade crust, and the fillings are usually good.

I hear ya. My mother is 90 years old and she still makes the pies and makes the best, flakiest pie crusts. Everyone has always raved about them. Me....I HATE making pie crust, so I have resorted to Marie Callendar's frozen ones in the past. They're pretty darn good. This year, I feel really lazy and just bought some. The pumpkin pies are never as good as mine because I put in less milk than the recipe calls for and replace it with bourbon. That makes them really tasty. But oh well....